‘Star Trek’ legacy character revealed as queer in ‘Picard’ spinoff
The Star Trek universe continues to boldly go where to person has gone before, with its latest series following the later years of the legendary Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Picard stars Patrick Stewart, reprising his role as the Captain of the USS Enterprise, featuring a number of cameos from characters from across the series that dates all the way back to 1966.
Seven of Nine, a former Borg drone first introduced in Star Trek: Voyager, joins Picard in his twilight quests, and the return of original actor Jeri Ryan was a welcome addition to the cast for long-time fans.
Wrapping the first season of Picard, the finale shows Seven of Nine holding hands with her female partner, prompting questions from fans on social media.
Ryan seemed to confirm Seven’s LGBTIQ+ identity, responding to viewers with a simple message on Twitter.
— Jeri Ryan (@JeriLRyan) March 28, 2020
Star Trek has long been celebrated for its inclusivity on screens, with Nichelle Nichols making history on the original series as the first African American woman to play a lead role on television – though LGBTIQ+ representation was missing from the sci-fi series’ progressive universe for many years.
2017’s Star Trek: Discovery broke the mold, with gay actors Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz starring as the coupled Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber in the prequel series.
Picard showrunner Michael Chabon had foreshadowed LGBTIQ+ representation ahead of the spinoff series debut, in an interview with LGBTIQ+ publication Queerty.
“…with Seven of Nine, having to catch up after such a long absence from the human race. If you think about that, it almost seems unnatural that she wouldn’t have had partners of other genders,” Chabon said.
“It seems clear that she would have.”
Picard is airing now on Amazon Prime Video.
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